me?"

"Yes. I advise you to put it into the hands of a lawyer for safe
keeping. You will not forget that you are indebted to me for it?"

"No, Mr. Raynor. I will take care you lose nothing by your revelation."

The next morning Phil returned to New York.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

AT THE PALMER HOUSE.

It may be readily supposed that Phil's New York friends listened with
the greatest attention to his account of what he had learned in his
visit to Planktown.

"Your step-mother is certainly an unscrupulous woman," said Mr. Carter.
"Doubtless she has left your old town in order to escape accountability
to you for your stolen inheritance. What puzzles me however, is her
leaving behind such tell-tale evidence. It is a remarkable oversight. Do
you think she is aware of the existence of the will?"

"I think she must be, though I hope not," answered Phil. "I should like
to think that she had not conspired to keep back my share of father's
estate."

"At any rate, the first thing to do is evidently to find her out, and
confront her with the evidence of her crime--that is, supposing her to
be really culpable."

"Then you approve of my going to Chicago?" said Phil.

"Most emphatically. Nay, more--I will go with you."

"Will you indeed, sir?" said Phil joyfully. "You are very kind. I shrank
from going alone, being a boy ignorant of business."

"A pretty shrewd boy, however," said Mr. Carter, smiling. "I don't claim
much credit, however, as I have some interests in Chicago to which I can
attend with advantage personally. I am interested in a Western railroad,
the main office of which is in that city."

"When shall we go, sir?"

"To-morrow," answered Mr. Carter promptly. "The sooner the better.
You may go down town and procure the necessary tickets, and engage
sleeping-berths."

Here followed the necessary directions, which need not be repeated.

It is enough to say that twenty-four hours later Phil and his employer
were passengers on a lightning express train bound for Chicago.

They arrived in due season, without any adventure worth naming, and took
rooms at the Palmer House.

Now, it so happened that in the same hotel at the very same moment
were three persons in whom Phil was vitally interested. These were
Mrs. Brent, Jonas, otherwise called Philip Granville, and Mr. Granville
himself.

Let me explain their presence in Chicago, when, as we know, Mr.
Granville's house was situated at some distance away.

Jona